


Polka Dots and Moonbeams

by EggWritesStuff



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ereri Secret Santa 2017, Fluff, M/M, stars and stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 21:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13199181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggWritesStuff/pseuds/EggWritesStuff
Summary: Prompt:“gentle, sweet EreRi with a space aesthetic”





	Polka Dots and Moonbeams

**Author's Note:**

> Written for morebeesthanyoucouldimagine on tumblr for EreRi Secret Santa 2017! I hope you like it!
> 
> Beta’d by the wonderful OneWhoSitsWithTheTurtles! I love her and she’s wonderful and please check out her tumblr and ao3.

Sina | Wednesday, May 10, 2017 | 11:48 PM  
_Plink._ Levi Ackerman jerked awake from the slight slumber he had fallen into. _Plink. Plink._  
“Window…” he mumbled while attempting to worm his way off of his blanket-laden bed. _Plink._  
“For god’s sake, stop throwing shit at my window!” Levi called, completely failing on making his reprimand hold any menace because _crash_ —his foot had become tangled in a blanket and thus he fell face first on his hardwood floor.

He unlatched the window and pushed it up, glaring down at the person “throwing shit at his window.” Great... it was his best friend and classmate, Eren Jaeger. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Eren’s company—it’s just that he did like it. Perhaps too much. The way the brunet’s green eyes sparkled whenever Levi caved to his crazy plans never failed to make his heart race.

But also, he had just finished his last year of finals in Sina University’s undergraduate program _and_ his senior thesis. Long story short (no pun intended), he was fucking tired.

“What do you want?” groused Levi, staring down at Eren, whose eyes seemed to shine like stars despite the darkness.

“Wait, were you asleep? Aww, c’mon, Mr. Grumpy Pants, we’re done with Sina U for at least three more months. Live a little!” his friend teased, the mischief making his lips quirk in a crooked half smile and slight crow’s feet appear in the outer corners of his eyes. “Anyway, come outside. We’re going for a ride!”

Levi just blinked at Eren, “No.”

He was working on wrestling the window shut when a whiny, “why not though?” reached his ears. “Why not? Gee, let me list the reasons. One, it’s almost midnight; two, it’s cold outside; three, it just turned midnight; and four, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again: I don’t do impromptu adventures. Good night.” With that, Levi slammed the window shut and crawled back into his warm, inviting bed.

Until…

_Knock knockity knock knock… knockknock._ “Levi, Mikasa let me in the front. I hope you’re decent because I’m coming in!”

The door slammed open revealing the perfectly disheveled nuisance he called a best friend. His sister, Mikasa, stood a few steps behind Eren, snickering. “Here you go, big brother, a hot mess just for you.”

If glares could kill then Mikasa would be not only dead, but also fricasseed and topped prettily with a garnish.

Eren only grinned endearingly and jingled his keys.

\--

Levi sat in the seat of Eren’s 1990 Chevrolet Silverado C/K1500. The refurbishing cost was definitely more than just getting a newer used car, but it was the brunet’s baby. Eren was so proud of the interior. He had the seats reupholstered and the radio replaced, making it just to his liking. Levi had to admit that the car looked great for its relative age and mileage, and if it made Eren happy, then who was he to judge?

There were blankets and a small picnic basket in the center seat between them and Levi couldn’t help but wonder what Eren had in mind.

“Hey, brat,” Levi began, only to be interrupted by Eren whining about the strangely affectionate pet name and how it “one hundred percent did not apply to him so fuck off.”

He smirked, “Oh, hush. If I say you’re a brat, then you’re a brat. You know why?” Eren glanced questioningly out of the side of his eyes. “Because I’m older. That’s why.”

Eren squawked complaining about how it was only by a few months but was soon interrupted by Levi’s laughter. He blushed a little thinking about how nice it sounded. Deep, genuine, and rare—seemingly only for Eren’s ears.

They fell into companionable silence as the truck bump, bump, bumped along the road up the mountain. Levi now knew where they were headed. There was a small lookout on Ragako Mountain, far enough out of Sina to escape the pollution of the city and high enough to feel like they weren’t on Earth anymore. It was their mutual place of escape when the stresses of society became too much to handle. For many years, throughout high school and college, Eren would drag Levi up the mountain to talk. Of course, Levi originally groused about how it would be so much easier to talk at their apartments or dorm rooms, but eventually the gentle atmosphere and bright stars became both of their places of respite.

The truck jerked a little as Eren shifted it into park—he had oriented it in a way so the bed faced the night sky and steep drop off. He then jumped out of the driver’s seat, grabbed the blankets and picnic basket, and ran around to the truck bed. Levi slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out the passenger door. He ambled around the back to find Eren already setting out the contents of his picnic basket on the thick, wool blankets spread out to soften the hard, plastic lining of the bed. Levi observed that there were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a thermos filled with what appeared to be grape juice, and another thermos with apple juice. His eyebrow twitched with slight annoyance—this was the meal he had had his mother make every day for him and Eren when they came home from elementary school. It was still his favorite, but tonight he didn’t want to have to deal with the nostalgia of warm afternoons, scraped knees, and sticky hands and faces.

“Eren, what are you--”

Eren cut him off cheerfully, “Hop up, Levi! You must be hungry.”

“What makes you think I’m hungry?” Levi grumbled.

Eren just smiled gently, his eyes twinkling in a way that made Levi’s heart speed up and his ears turn red, “Because I know you. I know how you forget to eat throughout the day when you’re stressed. And I know you’re stressed because you told me you were this morning before your last finals.”

Levi’s stomach decided to betray him and gurgled loudly, voicing its protest at being forgotten for twenty-four hours. He glared at it but begrudgingly jumped up across from Eren who then handed him half of a sandwich (Levi could smell the strawberry jelly and his heart clenched at Eren’s thoughtfulness) and the thermos of apple juice.

“Bone ape-y tit!” Eren mimed a toast while Levi's annoyance quickly faded into amusement.

“Dumbass, it’s ‘bon appétit’.” Levi corrected, still chuckling even after his full belly laughter subsided.

“Tomato, potato.” Eren grinned, glad that he could make his best friend and confidant laugh so much.

Levi finally calmed down enough to hold a straight face and say, “this is why Ms. Dreyese hated you in French IV.”

Eren giggled while thinking back to their high school French teachers. Really, the only reason he had taken French as a freshman was because of Levi, but throughout the years he grew to enjoy the language (aka royally butchering the pronunciation, thus making him a legend among teachers and students alike). By the time he was a senior, Eren’s reputation had spread so much that the French department would draw straws to see who had to teach E. Jaeger and L. Ackerman that year. Normally, Levi was a teacher’s wet dream but he and Eren were a package deal, so his good behavior was canceled out (and more) by Eren’s humor and mischievous nature.

The night was then filled with silence as the two munched on their sandwiches, each thinking about the future.

\--

Levi had forgotten how long the two of them just lay in the truck bed under the clear night sky. The chill of early spring was combated by the blankets and the ridiculous amount of body heat that Eren emitted. He still didn’t know how the brunet ran so warm. It had always been like that though—even when they were in elementary school.

_Sina | Tuesday, January 27, 2001 | 8:00 AM_

_Eren, red cheeked from the chill of the wind and snow, yelled to Levi, who was in the Ackerman’s family room wrapped in about five blankets and sitting in front of the fire, “Come outside and play! It feels so good outside!” His grin was infectious because he was missing a few of his front baby teeth._

_“No,” Levi murmured, hiding his small smile behind a cup of Kuchel Ackerman’s famous hot chocolate, “it’s too cold.” Eren started whining, which in turn caught the attention of Ms. Ackerman._

_“Oh, Eren! Where are your hat and scarf? I’m positive Carla wouldn’t have let you outside your house without them.”_

_“I took ‘em off. It got too warm.” Eren grumbled some more a steaming mug was thrust into his hand and he was forced into a toque. Levi was then forced into a few sweaters and jackets and then pushed outside with his mother’s warning to be home in time for lunch. They both pouted at the development._

_“How are you too warm?” Levi’s teeth chattered. Eren just shrugged and then took off the toque and put it on Levi whose cheeks warmed at the close distance between their faces._

_“Hey, Levi,” Eren almost shouted, excited and fascinated, “there are snowflakes on your eyelashes! They look like tiny stars!”_

_“Dummy, how do you know what stars look like…” Levi jerked away, still blushing at the body heat radiating off of his friend._

_“Dunno, just do!”_

Levi sighed at the memory, the nostalgia catching up with him. Eren turned on his side questioningly, “What’s up, buttercup?”

He turned so he was facing his childhood friend, “just reminiscing.” Eren raised his eyebrows, clearly wanting Levi to explain further. “Do you remember that snow day when we were eight or nine where you refused to wear a hat and Carla got so mad at you?”

“Haha! Yeah, of course! Mom was so pissed and I got the flu a few days later,” Eren snorted, remembering the tongue lashing his mother had given him about it being his fault and “if he was grown up enough to decide whether or not he needed to wear his hat, then he was old enough to take care of himself while he had the flu.”

Then Levi seemed to notice how close their faces were—the bridge of Levi’s nose turned rosy highlighting the freckles dotted across his face. Slowly, while looking into his friend’s eyes, Eren brought his hand up to trace imaginary lines between the dots of melanin.

“Your freckles are like constellations…” it was said so quietly that Levi had to strain to hear; even then he wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly.

“What,” he responded, masking his embarrassment with flat indifference.

“Your freckles are like constellations,” Eren repeated a little louder, preserving the tender atmosphere.

Levi was at a loss for words. In his haste to maintain his emotional constipation, his mind rushed trying to come up with a rebuttal, “Pfft, well then your eyes are like galaxies.” Shit. Albeit true, that wasn’t what he meant to say. Eren’s eyes widened and then he rolled onto his back laughing. Levi pouted, turning on his side and propping up his body with his elbow. In a race to save face he said, “it’s true though.”

Eren turned his head, “I meant what I said too. You’re gorgeous and your freckles are so cute. They go away in the winter, but always return in the spring and summer.” Levi’s blush deepened and he could hear his pulse in his ears. Eren continued, his speaking speeding up like he was afraid someone would try to stop him, “I wasn’t ever going to confess, but Levi, I really like you. I have for years. Your rare smiles, your freckles, your eyes—they make my heart race.”

Levi exhaled, “You too.” The outer corners of Eren’s eyes crinkled in amusement at his friend’s speechlessness. The other man just scowled; his motto had always been “actions speak louder than words” anyway, so he pushed himself up to where he caged in Eren under him. He lowered himself so he was a few inches away from the brunet’s lips, “may I?”

“Please.” Eren said, almost pleadingly.

Their lips met gently in what Levi could only liken to the birth of a star—brilliant, enlightening, and the start of something beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Please comment stuff I could do better!
> 
> Also, for some reason the HTML hyperlink coding isn’t working, but I’m on tumblr too if you want to chat with me! ackernerd.tumblr.com


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